| ZL4TE |
Rating:  |
2022-01-23 | |
| Absolutely superb |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I was looking to change my trusty Yaesu FT1000MP mk5 field for something a bit smaller. I considered many radios, but kept coming back to the 3000. For the price it was amazing value. Like many others, I opted to add an sdr rx. It means I can ignore the band scope which is useless.
Rig control via the usb cable is a breeze, I use Log4OM and controlling the rig, logging and sdr is so straightforward.
I also opted for the narrow cw filter. I was expecting to hear more than on the 1000, but it was not so much a step as a quantum leap. The filtering is absolutely stunning and it is a very easy rig to use.
Only thing I'm not keen on is the clarifier position. I seem to need to use the clarifier clear button quite often.
I am absolutely delighted with this superb radio. |
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| MM0TWX |
Rating: |
2022-01-04 | |
| Silly good radio |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| 179 reviews have already said the same, but I want to add my voice as a diehard DXer. In 40 years of activity, I've had them all, and I believe I can speak from experience. This little radio does EXACTLY what an FT-5000 does (except dual receive, easily done on the 3000 with a cheap dongle connected to ANT out + SDRConsole software). I am not talking numbers here - I am talking real world performance in a competitive, high-level CW DX activity. Shame for the spectrum display - totally useless (also easily fixed with external SDR). If it came in a bigger box (I love big radios, knobs and all) this could easily be one of the top radios around. But I suppose that's marketing for you... How else can they entail us to pay three, four, five, six times as much for essentially the same real world performance? |
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| W5NM |
Rating: |
2021-11-12 | |
| Superb Radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Wow! I think Yaesu really stepped up to the plate with the FTDX3000. The receiver is excellent and as good or better than my Kenwood TS-590 which I love. After using the radio for over a month now, and almost every day, I find so many little things that Yaesu has done well that were ignored in many other radios. A very fine radio for the money indeed. My only gripes are the scope, which I find inferior and the ridiculous antenna tuner. The Kenwood TS-590 antenna tuner is ten times faster and quieter and will tune almost anything I throw at it. Plus the memories help save a lot of time and relay wear and tear. Also I do NOT like the placement of the Mode button. I also do not like the clarifier button/ VFO B knob always moving the display every time I get near it. I know the clarifier/VFO B may or not be turned on but I hate that. I know I have kind of gone negative here, but this really is a spectacular radio and worthy of a 5. Hats off to Yaesu whom I had left behind for Kenwood radios, for producing a fine rig that I will enjoy for years to come. |
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| N9TSL |
Rating: |
2021-08-26 | |
| Great rig |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| I've owned my 3000 for over 6 months now and love it. Very nice quiet receiver compared to many other rigs I've used. The DNR is great, better than any other rig I've used. Doesn't make the audio "pinched up" sounding like other rigs I've used. It also has great tx audio from the reports I've been getting. I added a Heil mic but in all honesty it really didn't make a big change. I was hesitant about buying it at first because I was afraid the menu system might be overwhelming but it's really not, although a nifty manual is a great aid to help you through the menu if your not familiar with menu driven radios. Others have commented on the band scope being being so-so and since I have never owned another rig or used another rig with a band scope I can't comment other than to say it does everything I need. I use it a lot on 6M and the band scope allows me to see the band plenty good to tell where the action is. |
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| AA1BW |
Rating: |
2021-07-29 | |
| A solid performer |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I have been a ham for 40 years now, and used a lot of radios. I have the FT-DX3000 for 4 years now. Mostly use it on CW, but recently I started to use it on FT-8, with the Microham DXP interface as well. I think this is one of the best value radios in the classical look radios market. It has the perfect size, ergonomics, double VFO knobs (one receiver only). It has an antenna signal out for 2nd receiver. I use the Expert Electronics Colibri SDR with it. The ergonomics, display, buttons is just perfect. The digital bandpass filters are working well. The digital noise reduction (DNR) is the best in class, I have not found any other radio comparing to it ! I use the FH-2 keypad, use the CW memories, voice memories, it is a pleasure to operate it. If you are not into the new era of SDR radios, this is one of the best radios you can get. I did not have any problems with it so far. Usually running an amp, so using only about 35Watts out to drive it. The only step up from this radio would be the FT-DX5000 with 2 receivers (much bigger!) or a new SDR platform radio (but that is a different story, different experience). |
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| W3KKO |
Rating: |
2021-07-29 | |
| Tremendous value and performer |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| First off, I second the previous post on being honest about reviews, as I, too, use them to help make informed purchase decisions. That being said, I figured I'd upgrade to the FTDX3000 in a few years until one came available through unfortunate circumstances. God bless the prior owner as he battles, and I treasure the opportunity to carry forward with his rig!! I am still an inexperienced ham, but its easy to see and hear the significant benefits this radio offers, including great receiver with really low noise floor, built in USB sound card for easy digital operations, very helpful (to me) waterfall and band scope options, CW decode, and multiple antenna ports including receive only. I've changed only a few of the factory default settings, such as the contour (changed to a + value) and menu 121 referenced below (thanks for the hint), with exceptional received audio and transmit audio receiving solid comments. I even had a recent 40M AM QSO partner ask what valve transmitter I was using :) I seem to discover something new, interesting or exciting just about every time I operate the 3000, and am thankful for the opportunity to own one. I put up a loop last fall/winter and what I could hear with this rig vs my others was nothing short of mind blowing. Other radios are FT101ZD MK3, FT840 (really great quiet receiver for the rig level) FT857D and TS2000. Antennas are 80m EFHW at +/-38ft, 200ft long vertical delta loop and an 80s vintage A3S at 42ft. |
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| KB3NWU |
Rating: |
2021-07-02 | |
| A PLEASURE TO USE |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| This Y3K is my first "nice" rig. Previous HF radios include 897D, 857D, & 817nd - great for their portability & versatility but the noise level, even when using DNR, can get fatiguing after awhile. The IF DSP in the 3000 really is a different experience and I'm on the radio a lot more often lately. I only operate SSB but the CW/RTTY decode function is great for W1AW bulletins or just eavesdropping. I used the radio by itself for a few weeks before hooking up the amp & tuner. Although the internal antenna tuner has been criticized below, I found it quickly tuned EVERY frequency from 160 through 6 meters on my Cobra Sr. Ultralite antenna to SWR of 1.3 or less and am impressed by how it automatically follows band changes. I now use it with an ALS-600 amp and an Elecraft antenna tuner and hooking them up was totally without issue. I simply use a straight key to transmit a carrier (using K4TK's advice on his 3-7-18 review - thanks!). I had a big problem with RF overshoot faulting the amp with the 897D but the 3000 works fine. I don't think I ever had an unsolicited compliment on my TX audio before using this 3000, but it is fairly common now ("WOW, you sound like you're sitting right next to me!" was the last one). I use a W2ENY headset and Ive tweaked the Mic Gain, Proc, and Equalizer to my voice - the monitor function works great here. For my purpose anyway, the only thing I would change would be a DNR adjustment without having to go into the menu. I tend to jump around the bands and the noise level on 80M is often much different then on say, 20M. But, I programmed the CS shortcut button for DNR and these settings are remembered when switching bands so it's not a big issue. I've wanted this radio since it first came out at over $3,000 but I ended up buying it new from Gigaparts recently for $1,379 - an incredible deal! You simply can't get a "better" radio without spending A LOT more money. |
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| AB4PP |
Rating: |
2021-06-08 | |
| Very Good. Highly satisfied. Great asset to my station. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| COVID brought bad luck to many. I lucked up right before it raised its ugly head and purchased the FTDX-3000 from an estate sale. The ham who had it did not even open the box. I put it on the desk and spent hours reading the manual and reading online. The receiver and the filters perform very well. I put it to the test in several contests and in the CWT's every week it is an outstanding performer for me. During the CQWWDX I enjoyed using it and logging some new countries. The filtering took a while to learn; but, after a lot of practice it turned out to work very well. The screen display is very useful and all the functions are an asset to operating. The pandisplay is useful and a good asset. It has a function to copy the CW but I rarely use it since I head copy and cannot really say much for that part of the display. The 4 inch display is adequate and very functional. Use with a HEIL desk mike with a HM-12 mike when I venture on to SSB with some nets and other stations give me very good replies for the audio. I primarily work CW and I am happy I bought it and love using the screen functions. It took a lot of learning but it is a welcome on the desk with my Elecraft K3S. It does not hear as well as the K3S on CW;but, it is a great radio. I plan to put an SDR Play on it for the digital display on a monitor and play with that. Another added asset to this radio. |
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| DL1BAZ |
Rating: |
2021-05-02 | |
| Very good performer |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Using this Radio for 2 years now without any problems. All in all it is a mature radio without major bugs.
Get a good sdr box like sdr-play, put it in the RX Out Jack of the FTDX3000 and you have a nice second receiver.
Use the sdr play with the fine sdr-console software (and Omnirig) and you have a smooth scope funktion and waterfall on your big computer screen (much nicer as the nervous FTDX101 scope function).
As the FTDX101 the FTDX3000 has a 9Mhz IF and a set of good roofing filters, DNR is very good and receiver noise is low.
With the FTDX3000 you get 80% of the performance of an Ftdx101 for one third of the price of the FTDX101.
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|
| KW4Z |
Rating: |
2021-04-11 | |
| This Radio has incredible DNR |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
It took a lot to get me to sell my FT1000 MK5 field radio, which I thought was the best I had operated but when I obtained the FTdx3000 I knew this radio would surpass all the receivers I had previously owned. When I first obtained it and engaged the DNR I felt that the receiver had shut down but it hadn't it just was working so well that there was an absence of noise to the degree that I thought was impossible in any receiver. Another fascinating thing about the FTdx3000's DNR circuit is that it doesn't distort the received audio but just acts on the noise.
In the last 6 months, due to my satisfaction with the FTdx3000, I obtained a newer Yaesu FTdx101d which obtained top Sherwood receiver ratings. but it didn't take long to realize that the FTdx3000 (or the one I have) excelled above the newer, more expensive, FTdx101d. The quality of the audio coming out of the speakers of the FTdx3000, on the same signals, was superior to that of the FTdx101d in quality and was such that I chose to keep my FTdx3000 and trade the FTdx101d for a Kenwood TS890s.
The Kenwood TS890s is an exceptional radio but there has been extremely few instances where I was able to copy a station on my FTdx3000 that I couldn't completely copy on either my Kenwood TS890s or ICOM IC7300. For the price I don't think there is a better radio out there and I plan to hold on to my FTdx3000 until I cannot operate any longer. It's a wonderful radio. If I had any complaint it would be the bandscope which is somewhat helpful but falls way short of most of the modern radios. |
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